The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, February 13, 1900, Image 3

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    PROSPERITY'S FACTS.
FlQUnES ILLUSTRATIVE OF EX
ISTING CONDITIONS.
Knortnou Inoreaio In tlio Amoant of
Monty In tho HandJ of tlio l'copto,
nnd In tlio Vault or the Natlount
Trcaaary.
In a timely nnd Instructive) contribu
tion to tho Saturday Evening Post of
Philadelphia Frank A. Vandcrllp, aa
Blstant secretnry of the treasury,
brings Into view some of tho splendid
facts of tho prosperity with which tho'
people of tho United States are blessed,
and for which they mainly havo to
thank tho change In natlonnl policies
brought nbout by tho presidential elec
tion of 189G. Tho assistant secretary,
whoso relations to government finances
enablo him to speak with knowledge
nnd nuthorlty, draws attention to tho
remarkable statistics of the Iron trade
ns presenting "a comparison of both
relative and absolute development such
ns has not been seen before." Somo of
tho facts resulting from wise economic
laws are best stated In Mr. Vandcrllp's
own words:
"A decade ago wo Imported $71,000,
000 nnd exported $14,000,000 of Iron
nnd stool manufactures. Blnco that
tlmo Imports have steadily fallen and
exports risen, until for tho fiscal year
1899 wo Imported but $12,000,000 and
exported nearly $94,000,000. In spite ot
this unparalleled production tho price
of pig Iron roso In eight months, Feb
ruary to September, from $1 to $24 a
ton, and at this ndvnnco nearly every
mill In tho country is so busy that
practically no orders can bo accepted
for early delivery.
"For flvo years wo Imported almost
double tho valuo of manufactures that
wo exported. For tho fiscal year 1893
wo exported nearly $80,000,000 more
manufactured goods than we Imported.
In 1898, for tho first time, our exportn
tlona of manufactures exceeded tho im
portations, tho excess being about 25
per cent."
Where for many years wo Imported
on an nverngo of $1,000,000 of manu
factured goods a day and exported
nbout half that amount, ho says, "for
tho fiscal year Just closed wo exported
considerably more than $1,000,000 of
manufactured goods every working
day of the year'
The shipping Industry, he says, also
shared In tho gcnoral prosperity, quot
ing statistics Bhowlng the Increase In
tonnago and In tho number of new
vessels constructed.
Ho shows that the bank clearings
havo Increased 41 per cent and tho de
posits 23 per cent. If tho figures were
contrasted with those of three years
ngo tho increase In tho deposits would
be 70 per cent.
Ho shows In tho two years up to Oct.
1, 1899, tho total money circulation in
the people's hands has increased $270,-
000,000.
"The total gold in tho country to
day," he says, "stands at $1,000,000,000,
which contrasts with $641,000,000 three
years ago. Gold Is becoming tho every
day money of commerce, and Is no
longer found only locked up In banks
nnd safe deposit vaults."
Another fact ho brings out is the
breaking of largo bills Into small ones.
In four years tho number of $1 bills
has been increased from $40,000,000
to $57,000,000; of $2 bills from $28,
000,000 to $36,000,000 and of $5 bills
from $245,000,000 to $291,000,000.
Tho government securities hnvo ad
vanced and tho agricultural depart
ment estimates that tho value of farm
animals has increased $312,000,000
Money orders have Increased more
than $20,000,000. Immigration has In
creased 36 per cent.
All theso things havo come to pass,
together with many ether things of
equal importance, undor a strictly
American administration, Tho tido
turned when we began to show lcs3
concern for tho fortunes of our own
people.
SAMPLE INDUSTRIAL BOOM.
Remit of riaclng National Affair In
Honett nnd Capable Hand.
No better Illustration of our coun
try's new prosperity can bo obtained
than In tho work of the great locomo
tive- building plants. Never beforo In
tho history of the concerns havo they
had so many men on tho pay rolls,
never beforo havo they turned out no
many locomotives In a year, and never
beforo havo they been so far behind In
their ordors. During last month tho
famous Baldwin Works turned out
ninety-two locomotives, an average of
over thrco for every working day in
tho month. And they aro bigger and
hotter locomotives, too, than tho
roadB used to order. No rallrond now
orders for its main lino freight nnd
passenger scrvlco engines that weigh
forty to fifty tons, for everything now
Is from 100 to 120 tons In weight. Un
til prosperity returned to this country
with the Incoming of President McKln
ley the locomotive Industry was sim
ply paralyzed. The Inst good year was
in 1893, nnd from then on until Repub
llcanlsm and Protection returned, tlo
big shops wcro closed half tho tlmo
nnd running on half forces nnd half
tlmo the remainder of tho year. Tho
railroads wero ordering about half as
many locomotives ns they needed to
keep up tho ordinary wear and tear,
for It was very plain to them that
there was a crisis in the affairs of this
country, and they wanted to bo able to
seo daylight beforo they mado any
great improvements In their rolling
stock. Tho sudden revival of business
compelled the roads to replace their
worn out engines, and now the build
ers are having a hard time filling or
dors. Tho policy ot Protection has
Vlio created a great foreign demand
for the Aaiorlcan built locomotives,
and B05rl hundred engines will be
sent abroad this year. In tho ono big
shop of tho Baldwin works thoro are
now 7,250 men at work, nnd tho com
pnny 1b planning extensions and Im
provements that will mako their plant
still larger. It Is but a samplo of tho
prosporlty that conies to nil when tho
affairs of our nation aro in capable nnd
honest hands. -Des Moines (la.) Stnto
Register.
IN SAFE HANDS.
Thci French Reciprocity Trent? Certainly
to lie Itlsldly .Scrutinized.
General Interest lina been excited re
garding the provisions of the new reci
procity treaty between tho United
States and France, now awaiting tho
consideration of congress, by tho pub
lication In tho American Economist of
Nov. 24 of Information Betting forth
tho Injury that would be Inflicted upon
tho domestic coal tar dyo and color In
dustry by the proposed reduction of 20
per cent In tho duty on that class of
French products. From tho letter of
our Washington correspondent, which
Is printed In tho current Ibsuo of tho
Economist, It appears that through re
gard for tho traditional courtesy duo
to tho Hcnate as the co-ordlnato treaty
making branch ot our government it
Is necessary that the publication ot tho
treaty bo doforrcd until tho Instrument
shall havo been transmitted to the
senate. It also nppcarn that In duo
tlmo tho treaty will come beforo tho
houso ot representatives for practical
rovlow by that body, nnd that full
information will bo had by the public
long boforo conclusive action shall be
taken by congress.
Mcanwhllo It Is safo to assume that
tho proposed reciprocity treaty will
havo received careful examination by
tho administration nnd its operations
nnd effect fully nscertalned. Thero
foro tho Interests of all tho different
Industries concerned aro In safo hand?,
for tho present administration Is thor
oughly American, thoroughly Protec
tionist, thoroughly Republican.
In order that accurate and rcllablo
information may bo avallablo as a
guide in tho treatment of this impor
tant question tho American Economist
invites expressions on tho subject from
tho industries that nro affected by tho
proposed reciprocity treaty.
In Frue-Trade Tariff Tluioi.
In riotoctlvo Tariff Tlmo.
PI l"WAHUD-A
Why, Indeed.
Every now and again some upholder
of free trade, who Is more ardent than
he Is well Informed, claims that work
ing men nnd women In this country re
ceive no better wages than do those in
the same line of work in other coun
tries. Ono such ranter was onco hold
ing forth at n public meeting, along
theso lines. After ho had had it all his
own way for somo time, a brawny la
boring man, who had been In this
country only long enough to become
naturalized, called out In stentorian
tones: "Wages no higher In this
country! What aro wc all here for,
then?" waving his hnnd In the direc
tion of numbers of his comrades, men
foreign-born, but at that tlmo Amer
ican citizens.
It was a stumpor. Tho speakor failed
to answer It satisfactorily, and, eo fur,
nil the free tradoru have failed to mako
an adequate reply to tho question. If
wages aro not any higher In this coun
try than they are In European coun
tries, why do workmen, why, during
all theso years, havo workmon, by
thousands and hundreds of thousands,
left their own countries nnd como over
to tho Unltod Stntes to hotter their
condition? Wo aro still waiting for an
nnswer.
A Financial Contrail.
Under Cleveland nnd freo trado wo
had peaco nnd no extraordinary ex
penses of any kind, nnd tho govern
ment wns obliged to Issue bonds In
ordor to keep good tho national credit
and to get gold for our depleted and
well-nigh empty treasury. Under Mc
Klnley and protection we are conduct
ing a coatly wnr, yet, to rellovo strln
noncy In tho money market, the secre
tary of the treasury has offered to take
from an overflowing treasury $25,000,
000, and put It Into general circulation
by buying bonds to that amount. Tho
contrasting circumstances outllno in
vivid colors the difference there Is, In
respect to the conditions of our nation
al finances, between free-trade and protection.
WAN I A . )
THE POOR MAN'S SUIT.
American Wage Karner Wcnr the ntit
and Mia Cheapest Clothing.
Under nil kinds of tariff laws wealthy
people can obtain good clothing. It
Is tho poor and serai-poor who nro most
vitally Interested in such laws. Realiz
ing this fact In a way, tho advocates
ot low tariffs and no tariffs most stren
uously Insisted that tho duty on wool
should be removed and that on woolens
cut down In order thnt the poor man's
clothing could be reduced In prlco. Tho
Wilson act mado wtol duty freo and
took off both tho pound rntc or com
pensating duty and About one-third of
tho nd valorem duty from woolen
cloths. What was tho result?
Tho first result 'was a great increnso
in tho Importation ot foreign cloths of
low grade, every additional yard ot
which took tho plnco of a yard ot
American cloth, and helped to throw
Amorlcnn workers out of employment.
Theso foreign cloths, chiefly English,
wero In general not Bound, nil wool
stuffs, but largely mado of cotton nnd
shoddy mixtures. Englnnd's uso of
wool substitute Is far In excess of ours
per capita, whllo her proportlonnto con
sumption of wool Is only two-thirds
as grcnt ns ours. English woolen man
ufacturers aro adcptB in tho fabrication
of cloths of good appearanco from tho
trashiest materials, nnd the American
market was soon Hooded with Bpurlous
woolons. Tho foreign manufacturer
had his chnnco nnd ho rovclcd In It.
If tho prlco of clothing wns slightly
decreased tho standard of quality was
decidedly lowered.
Tho American woolen manufacturer
soon saw what ho wns "up against."
Ho was compelled to compoto with tho
kind of stuff that was making tho mar
ket. Ho accordingly began to Import
wool substitutes. This Is clearly prov
en by the statistics of Imports. Tho
McKInloy net, which preceded tho Wil
son net, discouraged tho Importation
of shoddy by a duty of 30 cents a
pound. Tho Wilson net took tho op
posite courso by putting n morely nom
inal duty of 15 per cent c:i such ma
terials. During tho soven months end
ing March 31, 1893, tho imports of
shoddy nnd wnsto wero 193,487 pounds,
nnd for n llko period ending March 31,
1894, only 40,288 pounds. In tho aovon
months ending March 31, 1895 (suc
ceeding the passago of the Wilson act),
tho Imports of shoddy nnd wnsto
amounted to 9.59GJS0 pounds, or 225
times tho quantity brought In during
tho samo Bcctlon of tho preceding year.
Will any person now assert that tho
degradation of the American woolens
market thus brought nbout was nn nd
vnntago to tho poor man, oven with n
considerable reduction In price? And
tho reduction In prlco could not bo con
siderable, nnd was not. A suit of
clothes takes on nn average about threo
yards of cloth, the cost of which Is,
say, about half tho first cost of tho
suit. Reducing tho duty on tho woolen
cloth does not lessen tho cost of labor,
trimmings or other expenses, und tho
amount so decreased was found by
many expert Investigations and calcu
lations to cut but a small figure in the
retail prlco of a suit. But tho Injury
to quality, tho lessened durability was
a practical and tangible evil, as many
a wearer of medium nnd low-priced
clothing discovered.
Tho Dlngloy act restored tho duty on
shoddy as well nB on wool nnd wool
ens, nnd tho American mills are turn
ing out honest and durablo cloths In
all grades. The "poor man's suit" costs
llttlo If any more than when It was
mado of a spurious worstod from tho
shoddy mills of England.
McKlnley Troiperlty In Ohio.
A thorough Inquiry into tho condi
tion of 225 factories, mills and work
shops in Dayton, Hamilton, Mld
dlotown, Piqua, Springfield, Cleve
land, Toledo and Lima reveals
tho following facts: Number of
men employed In 1896, 60,474;
In 1899, 84,580; gain, 34,105. Monthly
wages paid In 1896, $2,414,651; In 1S99,
$4,263,491; Increase, $1,848,840. It Is
estimated that $3,500,000 per month
moro Is being paid au wages In Ohio
this year than in 1896. The increase
of wages per man In Cleveland nvcr
nges $7.76 per month. Tho Increaso
per man In tho Miami Vnlloy nvorngea
$8,31 per month. Indianapolis (Ind.)
Journal.
How It Was Settled.
During tho palmy days of Freo Trade
tnlk, when Mills nnd WlUon bills wero
tho fashion of tho hour, it was actu
ally prophesied that the passago of tho
latter bill would Bcttlo tho question
of the tnrlff for n generation. In fact,
it did Bcttlo it. It brought in bo llttlo
rovenuo that President Cleveland was
obliged to borrow right and left, and
business went Into a hole, nnd drew
tho holo In after It. It Is n curious
fact that tho passago of Protectlvo
Tariff acts Is nlways followed by peri
ods of prosperity, nnd tho uscondoncy
of Freo Trado baa nlways Just as
surely brought on panics and hard
times. Aahlnnd (Wis.) PresB.
Wnce F.nrner FlonrUli.
A fat pay-roll nt tho enr shops is the
very best of business Btlmulnnts for
St. Charles. Last Friday was pay-day
down nt tho works, and moro money
than usual waB handed out to tho mon.
A good deal over $25,000 was handed
out to tho employes. When ono con
siders that pay-day comes twlco a
month It will bo realized what plenty
ot work nt tho shops means to St.
Charles. St. Charles (Mo.) Cosmos.
Tlio Ileal, Imuo.
The greatest Issue beforo tho Amerl.
can people Is thnt of business prosper
ity. When all the mills aro open nnd
working overtime, nnd when thq work
lngmen havo all they can do and are
paid good wnges, they havo no time
to listen to agitators. That Is the gen.
eral condition now. El Paso (Tex.)
Herald.
BAD AND MAM.
Dlxby lies nt tho crossing of tho Iron
wnyn cut In tho dcsolnto West, I should
not llko to say how many railroad
men khow tho place, or hnvo wondered
how they could cscapo from It. It la
always quite pleasant to bo leaving
lllxby or It would bo If It wero not
for Dad nnd Mam.
Tho first tlmo I snw Dad nnd Mnm
wns when my routo wns changed from
Omaha to Donvor I nm n mnll clerk
nnd I landed nt Dlxby with a wait of
thirty minutes, a horribly empty stom
ach, and no visible wny ot filling it.
"Don't they cnt out this wny?" I
asked Thoo Auditor, who was in tho
mall car with me.
"I should say bo," Bald he. "It wo
cnt nnywhero wo cnt nt Hlxby."
"Macduff," cried I, "If thoro'a nny
plnco to lend to, plcnno lead on."
Ho did. Wo wont down tho uninter
esting front street, ns llko to fifty other
front streets I hnd wnlkcd down ns
ono pen to nnothcr.
"What do peoplo mean by living
hero," I ruminated aloud. I wns a
Chlcngo man and had Ideas of my own
about what n town should bo. Auditor,
who enmo from Peoria, and hated Chl
cngo, nnswered rather Bourly:
"There's no accounting for tho dirty
holes somo folks like to llvo In."
Wo turned, down n street thnt was
nil blncknesB snvo for one flashing and
wolcomlng glow that camo from tho
headlight of nn engine. The hendllght
stood beforo n long, low building with
Btorm doors nt tho cntranco nnd storm
bqbIi nt tho wlndowB. Onco bohlnd that
door, tho winter hnd vnnlshcd, nnd wo
wore In n long npnrtmont, brightly
lighted with rough gray walls, trim
med with Hags nnd vines, nnd filled
with men.
A shout went up nB wo entered.
"Why, Thoo; thnt you, my boy?" I
distinguished a womnn'B voice snylng.
"Wo wore thinking this wna your
night. Ib your baby bettor?"
"O, a heap better, thank you, Mnm.
This Is my assistant, Will Williams.
Ho'll become one of your family, I ex
pect." "Well, I'm glnd to hear It," said a
hearty voice, and I oaw n woman with
n large, kind faco, reaching out her
HE REACHED OUT A GRIMY HAND,
hand to mo across a sort of countor,
behind which sho eat In n high rockor.
"My family Is Inrge," Bho said, "but
never too largo to havo additions mado
to It."
A plcasantcr, moro motherly-looking
old woman It would havo been hard to
find. Her bluo eyes beamed at mo with
n sincere offer of friendliness, nnd tho
hnnd I grasped, hnd a fine, firm
grip to it.
"This is tho sort of person ono can
count on," I concluded, instinctively. A
moment later an old man entered, car
rying a bucket ot conl. Ho had n largo,
kind faco, too indeed tho husbnnd
and wife seemed singularly alike. 1
waB Introduced to him nnd ho reached
out n grimy hand.
"Where do you live, sir?"
"At Omnhn."
"Mnrricd?" " .
"No."
"Livo with your folkB?"
"Yea."
"Thnt's good. Thnt's mighty good.
Glnd to seo you hero. IIopo you'll
mnko yourself acquainted with all our
boys."
By thin tlmo Mnm had n luncheon
laid for us on a snowy tablecloth. 1
nm n trlflo fastidious nbout my eating,
nnd thero hnvo been times when 1
nearly starved to death becauso I could
not force down tho faro I got nt rail
way eating houses. Hut this meal,
though simple, wns delicious, nnd I
nto until I wns actually ushumcd ot
myself.
I talked but llttlo; It wns better to
listen. The laughter und conversation
going on was llko thnt of u homo clr
clo. Mnm led It, nnd sho seemed to
know nil nbout everybody, nnd to bo
giving overyone n bit of friendly on
courngemeut.
"O, you'll soon bo fixed nil right,"
Bho said to a young follow who hnd
confessed to her thnt his now hoimo
keeping was on n Binnll scale. 'When
I wnu first married I had only ono llnt
iron to my name, and I couldn't seem
to get money enough togothcr to buy
another. So I used to use it until it
wns cold, und then do something else
till it got hot again. Rut it was awful
trying. Dad's shirts used to got dry as
bones while I was waiting for that flat
to hunt. Dut It'B hotter now, as you
Beo. I own six Irons now," sho con
eluded with an accent of dry humor.
"O, you're a rich woman now, Mam,"
cried one of the "boys,"
"And I've traveled," sho laughed.
"Dcn't forget that I'vo trnvolcd." This
nppenred to bo n tremendous joke, nnd
Mnm chuckled nnd shook over It nnd
Dad chuckled nnd shook. Tho "boys"
mndo merry over It too, nnd Mam
couldn't lot tho Joko go, but cried be
tween her fits of laughter.
"Not overyono hns traveled, you
know. It mnkes n great difference I
don't enro to nssoclnto myself with
folks thnt haven't traveled."
Wo hnd to lenvo then, nnd ns wo
hnstcned nlong tho stroot, leaving tho
ilnmlng hendllght nt our backs, nnd
with tho cordtnl good-bys of Dnd nnd
Mnm otlll ringing in our cars, I naked
Auditor whnt tho Joko wns.
"Why," snld he, "Dnd nnd Mam Fer
ris hnvo been right on thnt spot for
sixteen years and thoy'ro Institutions.
All tho fellows know them nnd tell
them tholr troubles nnd go to thorn to
bo doctored nnd potted nnd encourag
ed. Thoy'vo got so used to it that I
really don't know how they would
get on without tho old folks. Well,
ono day Mam was talking and It camo
out that Bho was Just pining to go to
tho Omaha exposition. No ono had
over thought ot that. Mam had novor
been known to go nnywhero. Sho
hndn't even hnd tlmo to go to church.
If It Isn't tho pnsBengor boys It's tho
freight crow thnt's taking up her tlmo,
nnd Bho never hns tlmo to say that her
noul is her own. In fnct, I aupposo
sho hns forgotten a long tlmo ngo thnt
Bho belongs to herself. How alio enmo
to think ot tho exposition I don't
know. Hut sho snld to ono of tho boys:
'A body might feel herself mighty for-Umnto-to
bo nblo to go to thnt show.
It must bo pretty.' Well, It came ncross
Boino ot us whnt it would mean to her
nnd Dnd to go thero nnd seo tho thing,
and how surprised thoy would bo nt
night when tho whlto bulldlngn woro
nil lit up with electricity. So Reynolds
Tim Reynolds, you know stnrtcd It.
Ho wroto tolling Dnwson, the General
Passenger Agent at Omaha, about tho
mnttor, nnd Dawson Bent on transpor
tation. Then wo clubbed together nnd got n
now suit for Dnd nnd now dress for
Mnm nnd head genr and n parasol and
all mannor ot truck. Nelson ot tho
Executive ccmmlttco ot tho exposition,
UBod to bo ono ot their 'boys' nnd ho
forwnrded n pnss, nnd Hawthorne, tho
Division Superintendent nt Omnhn,
mndo them como to his houso nnd put
up. Thoy had everything going, I toll
you. They Btald two weoku nnd wont
to tho thenter nnd did tho Mldwny and
went through tho exposition ground as
faithfully ub children learn n lesson.
Thoy meant to get all out of It they
could. They camo back proud as pea
cocks, nnd kind of crushed by every
body's klndnesB. I swear, they cried
for n month, till wo told them If thoy
didn't let up we'd sot up a, lunch coun
ter nt tho station. So they wiped tholr
eyes nnd mndo a Joko of It. And now
nil you havo to do if you wnnt to mako
them laugh la to ask them if thoy hnvo
over traveled."
Wo wero back to our places In tho
mnll enr by this tlmo. I grnbbod n
fresh sack nnd begnn my tusk, but it
wns several minutes beforo I could boo
tho directions on tho envelopes with
prfect clearness. Thon it occurred to
mo that I would hotter follow tho ex
ample ot Dad and Mam, so I dried my
eyes nnd foil to laughing.
"Whnt's tho mntter with you?" sung
out Auditor.
"I wns Just thinking whnt n blister
ing good Btory thnt was nbout Dad and
Mnm."
"Woll," snld ho, indlgnnntly, "it
tnoks n good whllo for you to got to tho
laughing point eecms to mo!''
I didn't toll him tho reason why.
Chicago Tribune.
j,
LnilneM of Kufflr.
Ono of tho miners in tho copper
country will turn out ns much work ns
flvo of our mon. Wo hnvo to employ
Knlllr labor. Kaffirs nro notoriously
lazy, nnd thoy require constant super
vision or thoy will quit work alto
gether. With every flvo Kaffirs ono
whlto man Is employed. Ono holo
drilled with a hnnd drill 1b conBldorod
n dny's stint for n Kafllr. Although
our employes do not get ns much pay
Individually ns tho minors hereabouts,
yet labor cts us much moro, bocauao
ono of tho copper country minora will
do ns munh work ns llvo Knfllra. in
Oom Puul'a domnln tho natives nro re
stricted by stringent laws. When a
nntlvo Is omployed in tho TrntiBvnal
ho is given n pnss upon his nrrlvnl,
nnd ho Is legally compelled to work for
a specified length of tlmo. If ho do
sorts hla (tmployer ho Is arrested.
When n nnlivo Is seen on tho BtrcetB or
hlghwnyo any whlto man hns a right
to demand nn Inspection of IiIb pnss.
If he does not produco It, or thero Is
ground for believing thnt ho hns not
obtained permission from tho employer
to leavo IiIh work, ho Is taken into
custody. Detroit Tribune.
A Ilomrllkn I'luco,
"Yes, wo get Into county Jails oc
casionally," said tho tramp, "but tho
trouhlo Is they don't keep us long
enough. A Jail Is n homellko placo,
with plenty to cnt, no work nnd good
treatment. Wo aro generally sen
tenced for thrco months, but after
about four woeks tho Bhtrlft picks out
thrco or four of us and says: 'Now,
boys, them Iron bars on thnt wlndor
Is Ioobo nnd It's going to bo n dark
night. Hov somo ambition nbout you.'
An old tramp knowa what that means,
nnd ho Is ten miles nwny beforo day
light. A tondorfoot Aggers to stay on,
nnd next morning the sheriff comes
in nnd finds him thoro nnd says:
'What, huln't you got no nmbltlon!
Then I'll give you some!' nnd ho boots
him out Into tho yard and aots him to
promenadln' around with u log fas
tened to hla leg,"
THE INFLUENCE OF BABEL.
ItncUt Unity Not tlio Same a Ltti
ruIiIIc Unity.
Tho Chinese ni Inlet or Is profoundly
nffected, ns wo nil nro, iy tin result ot
tho building of Babel. The numerous
languages nnd dlnlccts of tho world
hinder seriously, ho thinks, tho prog
ress nnd unity of mnnklnd, snys tho
London Spcctntor. Wo nro not bo suro
nbout tho progress, though wo ndmlt
tho unity in great pnrt. Thoso who
hnvo studied most profoundly tho his
tory of nn Important part ot mankind
wo think, naturally, tho most Im
portant viz., Europe, havo been ot
opinion that tho diversity of Europe,
has been Its lending progressive clc
mcnL 8upposo thnt nt tho overthrow
of tho westorn omplro somo ono of tho
grcnt Teutonic trlbca hnd Imposed Its
lnngungo on Europe, or thnt tho de
based Latin of tho fifth century hnd
been received nnd nsslmllnted overy
wlioi'e. Europo might hnvo been f'A
coniequcnco a unit today, but tho rich
nnd varied growths of European lltcrn
turo would not hnvo existed. Uniform
ity would havo prevailed nnd tho im
pact of mind on mind, of rnco on race,
of npocch on speech, of thought on
thought, would hnvo been lost to mnn
klnd. Think ot n Europo In which
French, English, Italian, Spnnlsh nnd
Gorman lltcrnturo hnd novor como to
tho birth, but In which somo ono great
tonguo hnd tried In vnln to oxpross
mnn's vnrlcd mind. Tho Chlneso min
ister, coming from n vast and com
paratively uniform empire, can per
haps scarcely rcnllzo with ndequnto
forco whnt wo In Europo should hnvo
lost. Nor nro wo qulto auro thnt tho
unity would hnvo boon gntned In any
thing llko tho dogrco supposed. Unity
and uniformity nro vory different
things; nnd tho profoundeBt unity over
effected, or thnt enn bo effected, wna
produced by n religion which wna de
veloped In great cosmopolitan cities
whore scores of lnngungcs wcro apokon
by lta convcrtB. Wo remombor ot
course, tho grent nld rendered by Greek
to Chrlstlnnlty, but It wns nn aid por
hnps moro on Its philosophical sldo
thnn on tho side ot everyday humnn
Bpccch. Rnclnl unity la tho next great
uniting bond, but racial unity Is
not tho snmo ns linguistic unity;
nnd wo eco todny peoplo llko
tho Dolglnns nnd French, tho Itnllana
of Itnly nnd those of Switzerland, tho
English-speaking dwellers In the Unit
ed Stntca and Cnnnda living closo to
gcthor, speaking tho Biimo lnngungo,
nnd yet not fused or completely ualtcd.
Juitlco llrovrer a a Btory Tellor.
Assoclnto Justice Browor, ot tho
Unltod States Supremo court, Is ono
of tho best nnecdoto rolators In Wash
ington, and frequently tells stories on
hlniBelf. Hero Is uu nmuslng ono:
When ho wub studying Inw in Now
York city ho ovlnccd aomo IntorcBt in
tho municipal campaign then on nnd
was Invited to mnko a speech on a
certain occasion. Jio accepted nnd
carofully fortifying hlmsolf with in
formation on the subject nnd other
wise prepnrlng for his part of tho pro
gram ho appeared on tho platform in
nruplo.tlmc. When ho got up ho mndo
an eloquent doplctlon of tho virtues
of his party; ho mado doop draughts
on slmllo nnd metaphor; his sentences
woro exquisitely roundod nnd It wns
a masterly cxamplo of a clnsa-dny ora
tion. Tho audlenco sat unmoved, an
occasional man alono greeting what ho
said. Tho next speaker was nn un
kempt Individual, carolcss of grammar,
who committed n wholesale slaughter
of tho English language Dut ho mado
Bovernl good points In a crudo way
thnt nppenlcd to tho crowd, nnd when
ho ended tho applnuso was deafening.
As tho then would-be lawyer with the
flno periods pnssod out a man behind,
not recognizing him, whlspored in his
enr: "I llko thnt second feller lioltnr-
he talks Bonso."
til
Mortality,
One of tho counties of tho state of
Connecticut onco boaBted ot a Judgo
who, though poorly furnished with
thoso llttlo refinements usunlly met
with In polished socloty, wna un onor
gotlc, shrowd mnn, nnd a promising
Inwyor. A neighbor of his wns about
to give awny his daughter in mnrrlngo,
nnd having n deep-rooted dtsllko to
tho clerical profession, nnd being de
termined, ns ho said, "to have no par
son In hla house," ho sent tor hla
friend tho Judgo, to porform tho core
mony. Tho Judgo came, and, tho can
dldntea for tho connubial yoke tnklng
tholr places boforo him, ho nddrcssed
th'j brldo: "You Bwenr you will mnrry
this man?" "Yes, sir," was tho reply.
"And you (addressing tho bridegroom)
Bwnar yon will marry this woman?"
"Woll, I do," said tho groom. "Thon.',
Bald tho Judgo, "I swear you're mar
ried!" Father Needed Attention.
A very small girl sat nt n tablo In
tho middle of tho hotel dining room
with her fnthor nnd mother, rolntcs th'i
Wnshlngton Post. Father wns obvi
ously n business mnn, nnd ho nto as
If ho hnd spont nil his llfo In n su
burban town, where peoplo nlways oat
on tho jump nnd dash off to cntch tho
train with the pastry courso in tholr
hands. Tho child wntchod with grow
ing disfavor tho wny ho mado thlngT
ftp. At length sho turned to her
mother. "Mothor," sho snld In her
Rhrlll, high, cnrrylng voice, "enn't you
do something to fnther to mako him
stop eating bo fust? You spnnkod mo
for' it." And father's dinner suddenly
choked him.
No Wonder.
Judge. Tom Her infatuation won
short lived. Jack Wna he a heart
less brute? Tom No; a penniless
saint. i